Netflix: Review of VIVO: Kinetic Kinkajou

August 7, 2021

Elderly musician Andres Hernandez earned a living playing music with his cute pet kinkajou named Vivo at the park in Havana. One day, a famous singer Marta Sandoval invited Andres to join her onstage in her concert in Miami. Andres had loved Marta when they were partners in music before, but Andres had not been able to confess his feelings of love for her before she left for the US to pursue her singing career. 

When Andres could not make the trip, Vivo decided to bring the song Andres wrote for Marta to her, with the help of Andres' grand-niece from Key West, Gabi. Gabi was a feisty 10-year old little girl with purple hair who marched to the beat of her own drum, much to the distress of her concerned mother Rosa. When Gabi understood Vivo's mission, she brought him and the song to Miami in time so Marta could somehow get perform it.

This new Sony Animations film played heavily on the musical stylings of Havana, Cuba to its highly fantastical story of undeclared love and unflinching loyalty. You can hear Lin Manuel Miranda sprightly tenor vocals clearly from the syncopated "Hamilton"-like beats of the opening songs "One of a Kind" featuring the rich baritone singing voice of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. Aside from his distinctive rapping, Miranda would also belt out a ballad "One More Song."

Miranda's earworm-y song "Keep the Beat" featured the idiosyncratic high-pitched vocals of Ynairaly Simo as Gabi. Her unique singing voice will take some time to get used to as it can be too energetic for comfort, especially in her solo "My Own Drum". It was so heart-warming to hear the earthy vocals of 80s pop star Gloria Estefan again singing as Marta. Her highlight is her rendition of "Inside Your Heart," the love song Andres wrote for Marta. 

While the idea of using a kinkajou as a central character was cute, the film awkwardly used the environmental advocacy of the girl scouts as a main area of conflict. The main story of a child going against the wishes of a parent is already a very common theme in these kids films. The "fun" misadventures of Gabi and Vivo en route to Miami -- biking high-speed on an expressway, trying to jump across an opening drawbridge, riding a makeshift raft through the Everglades swamp with all the alligators and snakes -- may be too scary for small kids. 8/10. 

Vivamax: Review of REVIRGINIZED: Revitalizing Realizations

August 6, 2021

Carmela (Sharon Cuneta) was undergoing an annulment case from her husband of 36 years. To escape from her misery, she joined her goddaughter Chesca (Abby Bautista) and her wacky friends Jen (Rose Van Ginkel), Liz (Marion Aunor) and Beverly (Jobelyn Manuel) on their way to "Stranded," three nights of drunken abandon at the beach. When they learn of Carmela's problem, the girls made it their project to make her recover her youthful verve or "revirginized", especially when she was smitten by tattoo artist Morph (Marco Gumabao). 

The trailer of this new Sharon Cuneta film gained millions of views, especially for those shocking scenes of prim and proper Ate Shawie uttering profanity and graphic sexual terms. Yes, admittedly that aspect of the film is undeniably attention-getting, and really a great marketing strategy, as evidenced by the advanced ticket sales. There was not much more of that cute vulgarity from Cuneta anymore -- what you see in the trailer was it already. However, there was so much more substance for audiences to savor in the rest of the film. 

Megastar Sharon Cuneta definitely grabbed this greasy bull of a character by the horns full on. Now that you've seen this film with her as Carmela, she was so right for the role such that it would be difficult to imagine any other actress in this role. She gamely fulfilled all the required shenanigans expected from a Darryl Yap heroine, and her goody-two-shoes reputation made the comedy all the more precious. Her cutest sequence for me would be that one she was talking to the baby tortoise as Morph caught her in a most mortifying situation.

As Morph, Marco Gumabao also gave this role all his carefree charm, especially in his passionate scenes of life-coaching and motivation. Odd couple as it may sound on paper, he and Cuneta did have screen chemistry, so you would actually root for Morph and Carmela to hook up as couple. We see several famous names in the opening credits, but they were in short, practically cameo roles. Albert Martinez, Cristina Gonzales, Ogie Diaz and Rosanna Roces were only seen in the opening sequence, and Kylie Versoza was at the very end. 

As shown in the trailer, there were several scenes of rave party on a beach with supposed teenagers (they look more like millennials) engaging in various activities of hedonistic inebriation. While chaotic and nihilistic events like these really happen, these scenes just went on a bit too long, too noisy for me. The young people here were shown to be rude and obscene, not exactly the company I'd imagine my Gen Z kids to be with. To be fair, Yap tried to balance this mischief with some responsible behavior the morning after.

Darryl Yap had been known for the controversies surrounding his brazen films rather than for his writing or directing. This time, I felt he had outdone himself with this screenplay that tackling such serious themes of teenage pregnancy, rocky marriage and deep regrets with sensible language that speaks clearly to his middle-aged audience, and meaningful metaphors of pawikan and butterflies to make his point. Credits also to the production team for using three vintage Volkswagen vehicles and Dorina Pineda's "Bituing Walang Ningning" circa 1987 hair and dress for some amusing nostalgia. 7/10. 

Netflix: Review of RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE BEGINNING: The Assassin's Angel

August 3, 2021

Himura Kenshin joined the revolutionary anti-shogunate forces under the leadership Katsura Kogorō in Kyoto. As an assassin of deadly skill, Himura gained notoriety under the name of Battosai. One night Himura fought and killed a potential assassin in the premises of a restaurant and was witnessed by one of the servers Yukishiro Tomoe. The two of them of them bonded and shared their individual stories and philosophies, as they lived as husband and wife to allay suspicions.

The rest of the story we already witnessed in the ending sequence of the previous movie "The Final" just released on Netflix last June of this year. It was revealed then that Himura had married a woman before named Tomoe, who turned out to be sister of his main nemesis in that film, Enishi. This new film showed us how Himura and Tomoe met each other and the circumstances around their marriage. A young Enishi made a short appearance to show how his character connected to the rest of their story. 

By now, we already know Takeru Satoh and his style of playing Himura Kenshin. He was usually very silent and laidback in demeanor, but once engaged in battle, he had the eye of the killer tiger. Despite his androgynous exterior, everyone he fought fell on the wayside, and apparently, sword stab wounds or even blinded eyesight did not have faze his ability to kill. We got to see more of his gentle side here in his tender scenes with Tomoe. 

Satoh had very good chemistry with Kasumi Amimura, the delicately beautiful actress who played Tomoe. Amimura was able to provide Tomoe with such a genuine sense of kindness and understanding. Because of her effective portrayal, we still trust the sincerity of Tomoe's feelings for Himura, even if we already knew what we know about her history and her motivations for wanting to get close to Himura. 

There were more scenes of quiet drama than usual in this series finale/prequel. However, it does not mean that the fight scenes were any less impressive than they had always been before. There was a thrilling sequence of Himura ambushed by a suicide squad of pro-Shogun men with a series of deadly booby-traps and fiery explosives, on top of engaging him in bloody sword fights. Admittedly there is no real element of suspense since we know Himura will survive, but all these sword fight action were still very exciting to watch. 8/10. 

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HERE ARE THE LINKS TO MY REVIEWS OF THE FIRST 4 RUROUNI KENSHIN FILMS:

RUROUNI KENSHIN (2012) (LINK)

RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO (2014) (LINK)

RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE LEGEND ENDS (2014) (LINK)

RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE FINAL (2021) (LINK)

KTX: Review of VERSUS: Trial of a Transwoman

August 1, 2021

For seven years now since the former Leo Santos had a sex change operation, trans-woman Lea Santos (Gabby Eigenmann) had been living in Brisbane, Australia with her husband Dave (Jakab Golding), the owner of the massage parlor where she worked. He secretly kept in touch with his kids Nico (Noel Comia, Jr.) and Shamaine (Jilliane Suan) by Skype, despite not being permitted by his ex-wife Baby 

Baby (Sunshine Dizon) is living in Hagonoy, Bulacan with her parents (Francisco Guinto and Erlinda Villalobos) and her sister Nida (Cataleya Surio). She currently has an Australian boyfriend Kurt (Aaron Hewson) who had promised her marriage and migration. One day, when Lea went back home for a visit, Baby's vehement and violent objections for her to see their kids eventually led to a heated custody law suit. 

Despite shoots in various locations around Brisbane, Australia and having a couple of Australian actors in the cast, the budget limitations of this indie were reflected in the very spare and basic production values. The set design looked amusingly makeshift. Dave's "massage parlor" looked like an office and the beds looked like tables. The insignia of the Supreme Court was dubiously hanging on the wall behind a regular judge. While distracting, those minor details were not really integral to the story anyhow. 

Gabby Eigenmann went all out for his transformation into Lea Santos, wearing a female wig, make-up and clothes practically for the whole movie. He was also very consistent with his feminine vocal inflections and ladylike mannerisms, even during seemingly unguarded moments when he was not the focus of the scene. He was also very sympathetic in those flashback scenes when he was still the gay masseur Leo.

In contrast, Sunshine Dizon portrayed Baby as a very selfish user, inconsiderate and uncompromising.  Loud and quarrelsome, Baby was a very unflattering character, and Dizon's constant scowl on her face did not help gain her any favors. Noel Comia Jr. still looked very young here which meant that this was shot a few years back. His best scene as Nico was during his testimony in court about his parents. 

This film by Ralston Jover was "Kramer vs. Kramer" with an LGBT flavor. It had a script which felt rather biased towards advocating Lea's rights as a transwoman and a father, while Baby was portrayed as the coarse, unlikable villain. However, Lou Veloso, playing Baby's attorney, did ask Lea valid questions about her abandonment of sworn duties as husband and father, and thus achieved some balance in issue presentation. An 11th hour twist saved the ending from being totally predictable. 5/10.   

KTX: Review of GAMEBOYS: THE MOVIE: Confronting Critics

August 1, 2021

In May 2020, a Filipino BL ("boys love") series entitled "Gameboys" written by Ash Malanum and directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal premiered on YouTube. Trapped in their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic, two young men, Gavreel Alarcon and Cairo Lazaro, became friends while playing online games and eventually developed a romantic relationship, albeit remote. The series was a success, running for 13 episodes up to September 2020, launching a trend for more Filipino BL series to be produced last year.

This movie version picked up where the series left off. Cairo (Elijah Canlas) is staying in Gavreel's (Kokoy de Santos) house temporarily before he goes back to his home province for his family obligations. Meanwhile, Gav had been avoiding calls from an aunt who wanted him to go live with her in New York. Two other boys (who were also in the original series), Gavreel's ex boyfriend Terrence (Kyle Velino) and Cairo's childhood friend Wesley (Miggy Jimenez), also show up in the house and also hook up. 

While the original series already showcased the acting talents of Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos and this film pushed these talents further to their fullest potentials. With the undeniable chemistry between them, they do very well in the cute romantic scenes, but they do even better in the heavier dramatic scenes. Adriana So as Gavreel's ex-girlfriend Pearl is a welcome presence for her pretty face and bubbly personality that certainly livened up the screen whenever she's around. 

The idyllic days in Gavreel's house was thrown into disarray with the unexpected visit of Gavreel's distant relative Tita Susan (Angie Castrence). Her antiquated ultra-conservative views about the boys' relationship shook up the peace of the household, and inevitably led to a serious confrontation. I can imagine this very scene being played out in homes whenever a boy comes out to his elders. This single intense scene was the heart and highlight of the whole film, elevating it above the shallow "kilig" frivolity BL may be known for.

In the original series, since the whole show was set up like online chats, the treatment of romance aspect between Cairo and Gavreel was very light-hearted and innocuous. This cute approach gained it a lot of fans from different demographics. However, since the boys were now living together in one house, actual sexual contact was inevitable. While this is celebrated by the LGBTQ, these sensual scenes, even when tastefully shot, may still shock audiences of inadequate understanding or acceptance of these sensitive gender issues. 

While watching the series can make you appreciate the full development of Gavreel and Cairo's relationship, this movie can stand pretty much on its own. 7/10. 

Vivamax: Review of NERISA: Harrowing Humiliation

July 31, 2021

Fisherman Obet (Aljur Abrenica) rescued a mysterious woman Nerisa (Cindy Miranda) from drowning the ocean and brought her home to their island to be his wife. When Nerisa came, the neighbors all thought she was a mermaid who had caused their town's poor harvest of fish. One  day, Obet and his group were forced by desperation to steer their boats beyond the legal fishing grounds to find more fish, but were lost at sea. The distraught Nerisa was willing to do anything to bring him back. 

Lawrence Fajardo is best known for his two films set in Japan, "Imbisibol" (2015) and "Kintsugi" (2020). However, a review of his filmography showed that he had once directed a sex-drama film called "X-Deal" (2011) about a love triangle situation set within the confines of an apartment building in the city. "Nerisa," his second venture in the genre, transports an erotic story of sexual politics to a remote island where gossip and superstition held sway, while advocating against government apathy for the plight of local fisherfolk. 

One thing that set this film apart is its gorgeous cinematography (by Joshua Reyles) and Cindy Miranda is the arresting focal point of it all. The camera loved her from every angle and she effortlessly dominates the screen when she is on with her luminous presence every time. Director Fajardo highlighted not only her classical beauty, but also effectively drew out her natural acting talent, making Miranda as intriguing as her character was. This made all the harrowing, humiliating ordeal Nerisa experienced all the more difficult and infuriating to watch. 

There was a message of female empowerment here as the women knew how to talk back and fight back. Sheree Bautista played the fiercely independent village prostitute Joni, who stood her ground against the other women in the town who hated her. In a much improved, less self-conscious performance, nymphet du jour AJ Raval gamely played a supporting role as the virginal Lilet, who also narrated the story. Reliable veteran Elizabeth Oropesa played Segunda, who adopted Obet as her own son and was loyal to him to the very end. 

Aside from Bembol Roco's Badong who spoke against the foreign intruders, the menfolk in town were portrayed as beasts who treated their women as mere property. Aljur Abrenica's Obet was a tragic figure with a twisted character development. Neil Tolentino played pervert barangay captain Ito, while Lowell Conales and Chrome Cosio play his conniving drinking buddies. Guji Lorenzana was disturbing a corrupt Coast Guard officer who used his position to take advantage of women asking for his help. 

The script by Ricky Lee contained multiple lurid sex scenes and potentially exploitative material of sexual abuse, culminating in a stomach-churning sequence of violence. However, director Law Fajardo made sure "Nerisa" would not be just another soft-porn quickie by infusing his brand of cinematic artistry to elevate it, aiming to possibly achieve the level of "Scorpio Nights" (1985) or "Tuhog" (2001) in the future. There is a sense of irony in using an erotic film to transmit a message against misogyny, but this one does just that and delivered.  7/10. 

TBA: Review of SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT: Impetuous and Intimate

July 27, 2021

Marcello (Mattia Minasi) was a spoiled playboy attending meetings and doing errands for his dad, a famous soap opera actor in Italy, in Los Angeles. Half-Iranian, half-French Nassim (Neyssan Falahi) was a frustrated actor who gives martial arts training to get by. Christine (Cristina Rambaldi) was an installation artist working as a waitress in a cafe in Malibu. 

One day, the three of them met by random chance on the beach, and hit it off instantly. Thus began their beautiful friendship, which eventually evolved into a steamy menage a trois. Their unique relationship face challenges when other people get involved and each needed to face their own individual responsibilities in life.

"Show Me What You Got" is an elegant black-and-white art-house film by cinematographer and director Svetlana Cvetko. She followed these three attractive young people around, all of whom were at the crossroads of their lives, as they became close friends, then lovers. There was a female narrator who filled in the details and shared their thoughts to make things make more sense. The identity of this narrator was revealed at the very end, a very nice touch. 

The first half of this film was carefree and happy as the three lost souls immediately bonded with each other, opened up their feelings and became physically intimate. Everything seemed to come up roses at that time as they evaded real life commitments. As things get serious in the second half when tough important decisions needed to be made, the film strove to make everyone's story stick solidly and satisfactorily at the end. 

The main highlight of this film was really its gorgeous cinematography, with practically every scene looking like classy postcards in grey scale. The modern cityscape of Los Angeles, the beaches of Malibu, the desert at the Joshua Tree National Park and the quaint architecture of Marcello's hometown in Italy -- all served as picturesque backdrops. All three actors registered very well in black-and-white, especially the delicate beauty of Ms. Rambaldi.

Netflix: Review of BLOOD RED SKY: In-flight Infestation

July 25, 2021

Nadya (Peri Baumeister) and her child Elias (Carl Anton Koch) are boarding a plane bound to New York City, where she was scheduled to see a doctor for chemotherapy. Unfortunately, their airplane was held hostage by hijackers who wanted to demand a hefty ransom for their freedom. At one point during the flight, crazy hijacker Eightball (Alexander Scheerer) shot Nadya several times, and was presumed dead. When that act threw the plane into utter chaos, Nadya unleashed her true nature in order to save her son and herself.

With everyone harboring some amount of fear of flying in them, there had been so many thriller and horror films which had been set within the claustrophobic confines of an airplane. The most popular ones would be about airplane crashes ("Sully", "Final Destination") or hijackings ("Air Force One", "United 93"). Then there are those out-of-the-box ideas which may seem too bizarre on paper, but succeed onscreen, like "Snakes on a Plane." "Blood Red Sky" is one of those outliers -- just replace snakes with vampires.

Of course, vampire films have been a staple of the silver screen since the movies began, from the silent classic "Nosferatu" (1922) to the various incarnations of "Dracula," from "Interview with a Vampire" to "The Twilight Saga." Having a horde of vampire on a plane was such a good idea for a horror thriller, it is hard to believe that it was only now that someone like Peter Thorwarth thought about it for a movie. Aside from the classic vampire tropes of immortality and fear of the sun, this film adds medications that can keep their bloodthirstiness in check.

Peri Baumeister played the tortured mother Nadya with such palpable torment, torn between keeping her secret from her son or to just go full vampire mode to kill all the bad guys. Carl Anton Koch had good chemistry with Baumeister as mother and son.  Another main character is Kais Setti as a concerned friendly passenger Farid, who just happened to be a Muslim. Odd choice why Alexander Scheerer chose to play the sociopath Eightball as effeminate, but he was over-the-top violent and such a hateful character.

I watched this without knowing what it was going to be about. When the bad men made their intentions known, I thought it would just another plane hijack film. Nothing would have prepared me for what would happen next after Nadya had a revealed her terrifying secret in response to an emergency that put her and her son in life-threatening danger. This twist as one of the best, most unexpected surprises I had in a movie. The way director Peter Thorwarth revealed it was also so subtle at first, then it just hit you like a bolt of lightning. 8/10.

KTX: Review of TENEMENT 66: Truant Temptations

July 24, 2021

Teban (Francis Magundayao) was an 18-year old petty thief who had just been released from prison. His elder brother Tony (Topper Fabregas) brought him and their cousin Ron-ron (Noel Comia Jr.) to live in an old apartment building. Their neighbor Lea (Francine Diaz) propositioned Teban to help her to steal a box of cash belonging to their grumpy old neighbor Tatay Nando (Lou Veloso). When an unexpected emergency came up that required a big amount of money, the desperate Teban had no choice but to agree. 

Writer-director Rae Red was met with critical acclaim for her debut feature film "Babae at Baril" (2019). Like before, she again examined the psychology behind criminality for her sophomore feature, this time focusing on the thought processes of delinquent teenagers while plotting and executing a crime unlike anything they had attempted before. This crime was underway even before the 30-minute mark, which meant that there was still an hour more to go to follow the aftermath of their foolhardy caper. 

Red made full use of the expertise of her talented tech crew: Pao Orendain (cinematography), Lawrence Ang (editing), Allen Roy Santos (sound) and Johann Mendoza (musical score) to transform what could have been a basic teenage crime scenario into an intense thriller with an atmosphere of over-the-top tension that occasionally approached the level of horror. Mikey Red's production design of calculated mess made the rooms and corridors more derelict and distressing than they probably were in reality.

All three young actors in the lead roles (Magundayao, Diaz and Comia) all did very well to look problematic as they brooded about the miserable condition of their lives. They may have thought of themselves as street smart, but the naivety, vulnerability and carelessness of their youth worked to heighten the sense of danger that emanated from the screen. 

The stressful performances of Jess Mendoza (as the grim sleazy Kulas) and Lehner Mendoza (as the slimy demented Jose) further added to the craziness of the mood. Ross Pesigan played Jayron, the boyfriend of Tony, as an LGBT nod. Theater actors Raffy Tejada and Martha Comia play Erning and Aling Joni, other neighbors in the building .

This film would give us pause and think seriously about how and why adolescents could commit crimes. Poor socio-economic status, is one factor. Teban had no income and was pushed to handle huge debts on his own. Parental neglect is another. Lea's father was not only negligent but also physically abusive towards her. The excitement of doing something risky and not getting caught is pure id, thrilling for any teenager. However, his superego may not yet be sufficiently developed to warn him about the consequences.  7/10. 

Netflix: Review of KINGDOM: ASHIN OF THE NORTH: Origins of the Obsession

July 24, 2021

In January 2019, a Korean mini-series "Kingdom" premiered on Netflix about a zombie infestation of Joseon during the medieval times. Written by Kim Eun-hee and directed by Kim Seong-hun, "Kingdom" was a meticulously mounted and elegantly shot period piece with lavish sets, costumes and makeup that effectively merged political maneuvering, medical mystery and zombie horror into one electrifying mini-series.

Season One started with unscrupulous court officials deciding that the deceased King should be secretly given the extract of a so-called "resurrection plant" to bring him back to life while waiting for the Queen Consort Cho (Kim Hye-jun) to give birth to a son. However, this concoction actually turned the King into a ravenous monster every night. The current Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) together with physician assistant Seo-bi (Bae Doo-na) investigation about King's mysterious ailment. 

Season Two, the Queen Consort was determined to hold on to power as she corralled pregnant women in the palace waiting for a boy to be born, even as the zombie infestation spread all over the country and even within the palace grounds. Meanwhile, Seo Bi discovered the cure for the zombie disease which they were able to use stem the further progress of the plague. The final scene was set seven years later in a remote northern town where a mysterious woman kept zombies stored in crates. 

This third installment was a feature-length special episode tracing the history of that mysterious woman seen the in final frame of Season Two. She was Ashin (Kim Si-ah / Jun Ji-hyun), born to a discriminated tribe called Seongjeoyain in the north. A perceived act of treachery by Ashin's father Tahab (Kim Roi-ha) caused his tribe to be raided and massacred by rivals. Ashin survived the attack because she was out looking for a legendary plant which she hoped could revive her dying mother. She grew up with revenge firmly on her mind. 

Shot with the same atmosphere of tension, intrigue and terror by director Kim Seong-hun, writer Kim Eun-hee expanded her mythology further backward in time to root out the very origin of how the resurrection plant became as widespread as it did causing the zombie apocalypse depicted in the first two seasons of "Kingdom." While the first half of the film was slow burn with a lot of expository talk, the second half, when the zombies came out and went into action, will definitely make series' fans very happy. 

These stories could probably have been told in flashbacks in Season Three, when Lee Chang and Seo-bi confront Ashin. However, they decided to tell Ashin's story separately to get it out of the way first. This move promises that the Season Three will only deal with the ongoing events, and not spend precious time on complex back stories. We now know exactly who Ashin is, why she was obsessed with the downfall of Joseon and understand how she came upon using the resurrection plant to put her plan of revenge into action. 8/10. 

Netflix: Review of TROLLHUNTERS: RISE OF THE TITANS: Troubling Terminal Twist

July 22, 2021

From 2016-2020, there had been three related DreamWorks animated action-fantasy series released on Netflix under the name “Tales of Arcadia.” These were all based on the 2015 novel “Trollhunters” written by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Krauss.

The first one, “Trollhunters” (2016-18) was a 3-season-long (52 episodes in all) series about the adventures of the newly-chosen Trollhunter Jim Lake (Anton Yelchin / Emile Hirsch). together with his chubby best friend Toby Domzalski (Charlie Sexton), girlfriend Claire Nunez (Lexi Medrano) from Arcadia Oaks, California and their troll friends Blinky (Kelsey Grammer) and Aarghaumot (Fred Tatasciore) from Trollmarket as they fought off deadly threats both on the surface human world and the underground troll domains by the vicious Gumm-Gumm leader Gunmar (Clancy Brown) and his malevolent mistress Morgana (Lena Headey). 

The second one, “3 Below” (2018-19) was a 2-season-long (26 episodes in all) about two royal siblings from the planet of Akiridion-5, Aja (Tatyana Maslany) and Krel (Diego Luna) Tarron, who escaped to Earth together with their loyal bodyguard Varvatox Vex (Nick Offerman) on the Mothership (Glenn Close). This was after a renegade general Val Morando (Alon Aboutboul) staged a violent coup against their parents, the King and Queen, whose bodies they were trying to restore to life. They land in Arcadia Oaks, so the aliens assumed human forms and struggled to learn human culture in order to blend in. 

The third one, “Wizards” was a 1-season-long series (10 episodes in all) about Hisirdoux “Douxie” Casperan (Colin O'Donoghue), a young impatient and insecure apprentice of the master wizard Merlin Ambrosius (David Bradley). Together with his faithful cat Archie (Alfred Molina), he brought the Guardians of Arcadia together back to the castle of King Arthur (James Faulkner) at Camelot and relive the circumstances that led to the creation of the Trollhunter’s Amulet, Morgana’s turn to the dark side and the legendary battle of Killahead with the Arcane Order composed of Belroc, Skrael and Nari. 

This new film “Rise of the Titans” continued right from the ending of “Wizards” when the Arcane Order, frustrated over how humans were disrespecting the planet, were threatening to destroy the whole world by awakening their three powerful Titans in order for the earth to be reborn. However, Nari had a change of heart and decided to join forces with the Trollhunters, the Aliens and the Wizards to stand against the other two members of the Order, Belroc and Skrael (Piotr Michael). Jim and his friends need to protect Nari (Angel Lin) at all costs, and at the same time find a way for him to regain his powers as the Trollhunter. 

Like the entire series before it, this final movie still had all the frenetic action, heartfelt drama, along with awesome alien tech and wizard magic that made it an instant favorite from the very start. The rib-tickling comedy this time was mostly care of the dumb blond jock character Steve Palachuk. Knowing that it was Oscar Best Actor nominee for “Minari” Steven Yeun who had been voicing him all this time made him even funnier than ever. The artwork definitely leveled up with the degree of meticulous details done for the depiction of the three Titans of Fire, Ice and Nature. 

For those curious whether one can watch the movie even without watching the series, I’m afraid the answer is NO. This one does not work as a stand-alone film, as watching at least “Trollhunters” and “Wizards” are essential to be familiar and empathize with all the key characters from all the realms and get the flow of the ongoing story as well as the background mythology. Fans who had watched the whole franchise all the way through will find this film a worthy and noble finale, even as the vicious battles did not spare some well-loved characters from their morbid fates. 

And then there is the prickly ending. I certainly never expected the whole saga to end that way. For a while, I just stared slack-jawed at the screen, not sure what I thought about it. I did not know whether I liked it or not. At first glance, it seemed quite neat as it intended to restore some sort of order and to prevent certain deaths. However, the more dwelt on it, the more it felt wrong as it somehow sort of nullified everything we had been following faithfully for the past five years. It was just that major of a shocking twist that totally came from left field. I was stunned and troubled by it.  8/10.